


Savior

by RuReadytoSing



Series: 365 day challenge [16]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Bullying, Friendship, M/M, superpower au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-12
Updated: 2017-02-16
Packaged: 2018-09-23 17:27:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9668591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RuReadytoSing/pseuds/RuReadytoSing
Summary: Living with superpowers while you're still a kid isn't always the easiest thing.





	1. Hero

**Author's Note:**

> This is set in the premise that Tsukki and Yamaguchi are in elementary school.

“So, what’s your superpower? You do have one right?” the taller boy sneered down at the shorter one.

“I-It’s...” Yamaguchi stuttered, staring at a pebble on the ground.

“You don’t have one do you? Even though you’re a purebred?” the burly boy snickered, pushing the younger boy to the ground. “Can you guess what mine is? I’m only a halfie and I got one of the big three!” he taunted.

“S-super strength?” the smaller boy guessed.

“That’s right! I could easily crush your tiny little head and your whole body into smithereens, then throw you into the ocean! No one would be able to recognize you!”

The shorter boy started to visibly shake; his hands held protectively in front of him. His eyes were squeezed shut as he waited for the bigger boy to make a move.  

“Hey, what the hell are you staring at?!”

Yamaguchi opened his eyes to see a tall blonde boy glaring at the bully in front of him. The two boys were having a glaring match which was swiftly interrupted by a scared squeak from one of the bully’s followers.

“Hey Col, I don’t think you should...”

“Should do what? Even though he’s taller, this boy got nothing on me!” the stockier boy puffed out his chest, attempting to look more intimidating.

“There’s rumors saying that anyone who goes against him gets severely injured. The last boy who-”

“I don’t care what the rumors say! If this bastard glares at me, I’m gonna glare the hell back! If he wants a fight, then damn well we’ll fight!!!” he shouted, stalking over to the taller boy. But, when he was less than halfway there, an unknown force knocked him backwards onto his butt, similar to the position Yamaguchi was currently in.

“Pathetic,” the blonde boy sneered, before turning and walking away. The bully gaped at him for a few seconds before hopping up onto his feet. He tried running after the taller boy, but he slipped and fell on his knees.

“Col!” his followers crowded around him in concern, trying to help him back on his feet.

“I don’t need your help!! What the hell is his power anyways?!” Col’s voice held a slight hint of fear in it as he swatted the helping hands away.  Yamaguchi quickly took that chance to run back to class, making sure to remember to thank his savior when they next met.

 

~Few weeks later~

Yamaguchi had always loved people watching and with his unique power, he could easily watch people without them noticing him. But, he always felt guilty afterwards since he felt like he was invading other people’s privacy.

However, he was glad he'd been watching Col very closely for the past few weeks since he knew exactly what the boy had planned for his revenge against Tsukki. (Yamaguchi had finally  mustered up enough courage to thank the taller boy and they were in the process of slowly getting better acquainted with each other.)

“So, we’re going to do it tonight?” a follower asked Col excitedly.

“Yeah. Meet back here at eight sharp, got it?”

“Yeah!” the five other boys ran off, probably to go play baseball or something. One of the boys remained behind; his arms crossed while he seemingly glared at Col.

“How much are you willing to pay me again?” he asked coldly.

“Five hundred dollars!” Col shouted proudly. Yamaguchi’s eyes widened. _What are these boys doing? They’re in elementary school and they’re already making shady deals? On top of that, they’re supposed to be role models since they go to the only superhero school in the nation; how could they be acting like yakuza when-_

“I’m only getting that much for taking that blonde bastard down? How about seven hundred?”

Yamaguchi’s eyes almost bugged out. _So this boy is their so-called ‘secret weapon?’_ He racked his brain for what power the boy could have and could only come up with one explanation.

“You’re pushing it. Don’t you want to get rid of Tsukishima since his power overlaps with yours?”

“Hey, don’t remind me. Just thinking about it makes me sick. Fine, I’ll do it for five hundred,” the boy agreed, sighing dramatically.

_Shoot. No way!_ Yamaguchi had never heard of people having the same powers as others. It was extremely rare and usually only happened between siblings or other relatives. And the short, dark-haired boy standing with his arms crossed didn’t look anything like his blonde savior.

“You just need to distract him until I get a punch in. I’m sure I’ll only need one punch to get him down,” Col snickered.

“Sure,” the ‘secret weapon’ rolled his eyes. “Countering his telekinesis should be easy enough.”

“Yeah, I can’t wait to knock that smug smirk off his face!!!” Col yelled, punching his fist into the air.

“Suit yourself,” the other boy muttered, turning and briskly walking away. Yamaguchi continued to watch Col for a few more seconds before following after the unnamed boy. He needed to find out a little more info before he could start making his own counter-plan.

 

~Three hours later~

The blonde boy sighed, not bothering to take off his headphones.

“Yo, Tsukishima, ready to get your ass kicked?”

Tsukishima ignored the boy standing in his way and instead tried to walk around him.

“Oi, you better not run away!”

Tsukishima ignored him again, swiftly turning around, but he was stopped by a wall of people in front of him. His headphones were lifted off and flew through the air, landing in a smirking boy’s hand.

“Now that we’ve finally gotten your attention, let’s see who the best telekinesis user is here,” he snickered, fixing his stance. Tsukishima glared harder, looking back and forth between the boy’s smirk and his headphones. Then he shrugged, turning left and taking long strides away from them.

“Hey! We have your prized ear phones!” Col shouted. Tsukishima didn’t miss the slight confusion in his voice.

“Do you think I care?” Tsukishima stated, maintaining his brisk walk away from them. Suddenly, he was lifted up into the air and was forced to fly back towards the telekinetic boy.

“You _will_ care after I get a fist full of that ugly smirk!!!” the stocky boy shouted. Tsukishima was set down right in front of Col and the shorter boy pulled his fist back when suddenly-

Time stopped. Everything in a ten foot vicinity of Tsukishima went immobile. The blonde boy lazily walked over to the boy who had his headphones. But, he didn’t expect anything to be in his way, so when he bumped into something solid, his concentration was momentarily deterred.

Time started again; Col’s fist met air and Tsukishima’s headphones had disappeared from the telekinetic boy’s grasp.

“What the hell?! You’re not telekinetic _are_ you?” Col shouted, turning to find Tsukishima standing in front of their ‘secret weapon.’ “So, do you have super speed? Or shit, don’t tell me you’re a time controller?!” Tsukishima stiffened at the last one and Col’s brows knit together. “Time controller hm? Well, you won’t be able to use your power if...”

Tsukishima wasn’t listening to the boy rambling on; he was more concerned about what he'd bumped into and how the hell his headphones had disappeared. _He was the controller of time, damnit! How did someone steal his headphones from him?!_

While he was lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the boy with a jeweled cuff sneak up behind him. The bracelet was swiftly locked around his wrist.  He tried to use his powers to turn back time, but it was too late. By the time he pulled his arm away, he could feel his whole body sagging with weariness.

“Superheroes without superpowers are just ordinary people who can’t do anything,” Col muttered, striding over to the weakened boy. “I might need to hold back after all; we don’t want you dying or else I’ll need another excuse to go to the beach.” He cackled madly at the end, motioning for his followers to make a ring around Tsukishima.

The taller boy pulled at the metal bracelet, glancing down at the small jewel embedded in the middle.  _What the hell is this?! It feels like I'm-_

"You ever watch Superman before?" Col snickered, taking another step forward. 

Realization dawned on Tsukishima's face. _I thought it was just a myth..._

"That bracelet was hell to find, but my big bro isn't called the Phantom Thief for nothing!" Col exclaimed. 

Tsukishima smirked.  _Phantom Thief? Pshh. So lame._

"What're you smirking at?!" Col yelled angrily.

Tsukishima continued to smirk, crossing his arms in front of him. 

“Whatever. Oh, we've wasted enough time already! I’m sure my boys wanted a little more action, so here’s their chance!” Col shouted, nodding at his followers as if to give permission. The five of them smirked, advancing on the boy who was still bravely standing his ground.

_Think Kei. How can I escape? Where’s the opening? Who looks the weakest?_ Tsukishima thought, sizing up his opponents. However, when he tried to lift his legs, they were held firmly to the ground. He looked up to see the telekinetic guy smirking at him and he glared back. _Damn it!_

“Go ahead. He’s all yours,” the dark-haired boy snickered, crossing his arms arrogantly.

Tsukishima continued to stand his ground, glaring at his attackers. His five opponents advanced, each one sporting a nearly identical smirk. He searched for openings again, frantically trying to move his arms and legs. They stayed immobile.

_Shit. I’m screwed._


	2. Invisible

“You were scary when you were mysterious, but now you’re not scary at all!” a follower shouted, a metal bat materializing in his hands. “Ooh~ I’ve been waiting for this!”

“Make sure not to knock him out, cuz I get the last hit!” Col shouted.

“I know, I know,” the follower swung his bat lazily, smirking at the blonde boy. Without warning, he jumped at the taller boy, his bat swinging sideways towards Tsukishima’s shoulder. The time controller instinctively closed his eyes, waiting for the impact... which never came.

The follower’s bat had stopped a foot away from him. However, Tsukishima hadn’t missed the muffled gasp of pain coming from his left. In reflex, his arms reached out to catch the thing and the gears in his mind finally started clicking together. His arms wrapped around something and he lifted it up, not missing the slight squeak of surprise. He didn’t let the others’ minds catch up as he sprinted away from his attackers, only stopping when he felt whatever he was holding start to squirm in his grasp.

“Tsukki.” The blonde felt a puff of breath against his cheek and if he wasn’t already scared for his life, he would have dropped the thing, now confirmed person, on the concrete sidewalk. A body had materialized in his arms, and he gasped when he saw that the smaller boy’s left arm was twisted in a way it wasn’t supposed to be.

“Yamaguchi!” he whispered in alarm, trying to run faster, but his legs nearly gave out under him. His adrenalin level had gone past its peak, and now the jewel was making him increasingly sluggish. He stumbled before setting the boy down on a patch of grass, hovering over him nervously. _Shit, now what do I do?_

“Tsukishima! You better come back here!” Col’s shout wasn’t too far off.

“Tsukki, run...” Yamaguchi gasped out, cradling his left arm. Tsukishima was amazed at how the brunette was still awake while going through so much pain.

“I can’t. The gem-”

“You can make it... if you’re... not carrying me.”

“I’m not gonna leave you behind.” Yamaguchi’s eyes widened at Tsukishima’s straightforwardness. The usually stoic, tsundere Tsukishima was gone, replaced by a concerned elementary schooler who had no idea what the hell he was doing, but knew if he left his friend behind, he would never forgive himself. Tsukishima maneuvered his arms under Yamaguchi’s knees and back, giving off a soft grunt as he picked him up again. He took slow steps toward the more foresty part of the park, hoping to get out of sight of their attackers.

“Stop. Tsukki. Stop.”

Thinking he had hurt the brunette, Tsukishima immediately set him behind the cover of a bush, waiting patiently for him to continue.

“You need... to run away. Please. I’ll be fine on my own, just-” He was cut off by another yell from Col, this time much closer than the previous one. Tsukishima swiftly ducked behind the bush, instinctively covering Yamaguchi’s mouth.

“I think they went this way!” his followers were close behind. The telekinesis boy was moving the tree branches away with his powers so his followers had a clear pathway headed toward the hiding duo.

“Shit, shit, shit!” Tsukishima cursed, his body covering the brunette’s protectively.

“Hey, Tsukki-”

“What?” the blonde’s reply came out much harsher than he intended, but Yamaguchi was undeterred.

“There might... be a way... to get out of this.”

“How? There’s only a few more seconds before they get to us.”

“I could... teleport us,” Yamaguchi gasped out, peering up at the gaping blonde.

“I thought you only had invisibility?” Tsukishima’s eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“You knew?” Now it was Yamaguchi’s turn to be surprised.

“I’ve known for a while, but today’s stunt confirmed it. Stalking bullies is so lame.”

Yamaguchi tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. “But... I don’t think I will.”

“Do what?”

“I’ve never... teleported... people before.”

“Then just teleport yourself out of here!” Tsukishima couldn’t believe he was saying that. He only cared about himself; why was he caring about this annoying... No, Yamaguchi was his friend. His first and only friend who had risked his life to protect him. And now it was his turn. “I won’t die. Just get out of here.”

“No...”

“Go!” Tsukishima tried to stand, but something was gripping his left hand. He looked down to see Yamaguchi holding it gently. ‘I’m sorry,’ he saw Yamaguchi mouth, before his body went into a twisted vertigo.

When he opened his eyes, he was surprised to not be as dizzy as he thought he would be. Then he remembered he’d experienced this sensation before, when he’d initially found out his time controlling powers and had accidentally went back in time. It’d scared the crap out of him the first time, but now he was used to the sudden bouts of time traveling. (He still couldn’t fully control it, damn it.)

_So, is Yamaguchi’s teleporting powers similar to his time traveling ones? Is that why he was able to move when everyone else was immobile?_

He continued to ponder until he felt the grip on his left hand loosen. He was jolted back to reality and he looked around to see that they were in front of a rather large house. Guessing it was Yamaguchi’s, he carefully picked up the now unconscious boy, using the last of his strength to trudge his way over to the door. The door slammed open even before he took the last step up to the porch.

“Tadashi!” A woman shouted, running towards him. He guessed she was Yamaguchi’s mom but wasn’t able to reply, because he slipped into the void.

 

~Few hours later~

Tsukishima opened his eyes to a blurry image of someone peering down at him.

“Tsukki!” Yamaguchi’s voice had returned to it’s usual cheerful tone, no pain evident. _Was that all a dream?_

The taller boy felt something being set on his face and his world came into focus. The first thing he noticed was the large cast on Yamaguchi’s left arm. _No, it wasn’t a dream._

“Ahaha, I’m fine!” Yamaguchi reassured, seeing Tsukki’s calculating gaze trained on his broken arm. “My family’s all healers, so they already took care of it.”

“Yeah, and that bracelet was really hard to get off for some reason. If your cousin hadn’t kept his old, heavy-duty pliers, we might’ve had to call for some help,” a soft voice came from the doorway.

“Mom!” Yamaguchi exclaimed, trying to hide his surprise by grinning at her. “Tsukki’s awake!”

“I can see that dear,” she muttered softly, walking over to her son’s side.

Tsukishima tried to sit up, but he fell back with a soft ‘oof.’

“Easy there; your body is still trying to get over the shock of that painite gem. By any chance, did you try to use your powers while the cuff was still on?” Yamaguchi’s mom asked gently.

Tsukishima nodded guiltily, avoiding her comforting gaze.  

“It’ll probably take another few hours before you’re fully recovered then,” Yamaguchi-san stated, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. “In the meantime, I suggest you two tell me what happened to you today. I’ve asked Tadashi, but he refused to say anything until after you woke up.”

Tsukishima looked over at the shorter boy and he replied with a sheepish smile. He sighed, sinking deeper into the comfortable mattress.

“So, who wants to go first?”

“I’ll start,” Yamaguchi answered, his voice softening slightly. “But mom... please don’t get too mad at Tsukki or me. And you can’t tell anyone else about this, not even dad,” Yamaguchi’s voice took a serious tone. His mom looked up at him with wide eyes, but gave him a smile of understanding, nodding for him to continue.

“You know how I told you about the boy who saved me from the bullies? That was Tsukki,” the brunette started.

“I guessed that much,” his mom whispered, smiling down at the boy in bed. Tsukishima blushed, unable to argue that his intentions hadn’t been to save the boy.

“You also know I love people-watching.” His mom nodded again. “So, I made sure to keep an eye on the bullies to make sure they left Tsukki alone. But they were plotting to take revenge on him.”

Yamaguchi’s mom’s eyes widened but she didn’t interrupt.

“The leader guy, Col, made a horrible plan where a telekinetic dude would counter Tsukki’s telekinesis while the others tried to take him down with their own powers. To rile Tsukki up, they stole his headphones, but Tsukki was too smart for them. I realize now that Tsukki probably could have gotten out of this alone...” Yamaguchi trailed off, his gaze dropping to the ground.

“I can only stop time for three seconds max,” Tsukishima stated, watching as Yamaguchi’s eyes snapped back up to meet his. The shorter boy’s eyes swam with confusion before they cleared. The brunette beamed down at the other, before continuing, “While invisible, I teleported to where the telekinetic boy had-”

“Teleported? Since when can you teleport?” Yamaguchi’s mom inquired, her eyes narrowing.

“Mom, can I finish my story? I promise to explain everything afterwards.”

“Okay,” his mom hesitated for a second before letting him continue.

“As I was saying, I teleported to where the telekinetic boy was and took Tsukki’s headphones from him. I thought if the headphones disappeared, they’d freak out and Tsukki could use that distraction to escape.

But, Tsukki must have had a similar plan, because he stopped time a split second after I teleported, and he was well on his way to get his headphones back. He bumped into me, and his concentration was broken. The bullies did freak out over the disappearance of Tsukki’s headphones, but Tsukki was just as confused. They used this chance to put the bracelet on him and make sure Tsukki couldn’t use his powers. One of Col’s followers was about to hit Tsukki with a bat and I... I...”

“He took the hit for me,” Tsukishima continued for Yamaguchi. “Knowing something was wrong, I caught Ya- Tadashi before he fell and ran away while the others were distracted. Tadashi revealed himself to me, but I didn’t have enough strength to keep running. We tried to hide in the woods, but they were getting closer and closer. He teleported both of us to safety.” Tsukishima’s explanation was much more concise and devoid of emotion. Yamaguchi’s mom seemed to ponder for a minute or two before nodding in affirmation.

“Boys, I’ll let you rest for a bit,” she whispered, putting her hand on her son’s shoulder. An understanding look passed from mother to son, before she swiftly strode out of the room.

“So, you can teleport and become invisible?” Tsukki whispered, trying to fill the uncomfortable silence. He usually loved silence, but not when it was filled with so much tension.

“Yeah... But I’m always invisible, so it’s more like teleportation is my only superpower you know?” the brunette muttered.

“That’s not true. It’s...” Tsukishima trailed off, realizing what he’d just said. He turned away to hide his blush while Yamaguchi giggled quietly.

“Wow, you’re being so dere today. Maybe I should always get inj-”

“No.” Tsukishima only spoke a single word, but that one word conveyed his worry, fear, panic, and slight irritation.

“I was just kidding, Tsukki!” Yamaguchi giggled, patting his friend’s left hand. “I would never do that to you!”

“It’s not like I care. But, why did it look like your mom was surprised about your teleportation powers?” Tsukishima changed the subject.

Yamaguchi hesitated before muttering, “My whole family has healing powers. I’m the only oddball. My mom was the only one who knew what my real power was, and now she knows I have two powers. I guess it isn’t that rare for a pure blood to have two powers, but if any of my family members find out my secrets, they’re going to be either angry, jealous, disappointed, or all three.”

“So your dad doesn’t even know?”

“Nope...”

“Oh.”

“Hm?”

Tsukishima ignored Yamaguchi’s questioning look, instead focusing his gaze on the ceiling. “Oh! You’re happy that you know my secrets while my dad doesn’t know, aren’t you?” Yamaguchi exclaimed happily. Tsukishima stayed quiet, confirming his friend’s suspicions.

“I’ll make sure to keep your time controlling a secret if you keep my secrets under wraps,” Yamaguchi whispered.

“The bullies will spread rumors,” Tsukishima sighed, knowing it was inevitable that people would find out his powers sooner or later.

“Don’t worry about that. They were expelled from the school, so they shouldn’t be causing anymore trouble.”

Tsukishima gave Yamaguchi an incredulous stare before the brunette smiled, continuing, “My family’s the top funder of the school. My mom kinda went overboard with interrogating me. Even though I didn’t tell her what happened, she was able to wheedle out the people who attacked us.”

“So they’re never going to bother us again?”

“Nope.”

Tsukishima’s shoulders relaxed a tiny bit, but only the brunette would have been able to notice, and notice he did.

“I’m glad you’re alright,” Yamaguchi muttered, squeezing his friend’s hand. Tsukishima turned his hand over, hesitating for a moment before gently intertwining their fingers.

An unspoken ‘I’m glad you’re alright, too,’ passed from Tsukishima to Yamaguchi, both of them reveling in the comfortable silence. More unspoken words passed between them as Tsukishima gently rubbed the back of Yamaguchi’s hand with his thumb.

‘TY’ Yamaguchi felt two letters get traced on the back of his hand, and he glanced down at Tsukishima with a confused look.

‘39.’ Realization blossomed on Yamaguchi’s face, before blooming into a soft smile.

‘Thank you for saving me.’

‘No, thank _you_ for saving _me_.’

Soft giggles filled the infirmary as they continued to speak without words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'TY' is an English acronym for 'Thank you.'  
> '39' is a short way of typing/texting 'thanks' in Japanese. 3=サン (san) and 9=キュウ (kyuu). If you put them together, It's サンキュー, or the friendly way of saying 'Thank you.' (I use it a lot with my friends :)

**Author's Note:**

> (Disclaimer: I do not own Haikyuu!!, Superman or any of the characters. Thank you so much for reading!!! ^o^)


End file.
